Bandwidth usage cap throttles development

Duncan McLeod, the Financial Mail’s technology editor, has an excellent column up on the nasty business of capping the bandwidth usage of “broadband” consumers.

Though the cost of broadband has been falling steadily over the past few years, telecommunications service providers in SA continue to impose severe restrictions on how much bandwidth consumers can use. It’s harming innovation and development.

He concludes:

Then there are plans, by both government and the private sector, to construct new international submarine cable systems to link SA with the rest of the world. Despite the feckless department of communications, which has threatened to block majority foreign-owned cable systems from landing in the country, it’s unlikely that the projects will be barred. After all, one has to believe that government ultimately has the interests of its citizens at heart and won’t chase away hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign investment in an area where investment is so critically needed. Right?

An incurable optimist, is Mr McLeod.